Officially, it has never snowed in Key West, Florida, since record-keeping began in 1872. Key West is located in a tropical climate zone and is the only city in the lower 48 states that has never seen a frost or a freeze. The lowest temperature ever recorded in the city was 41°F (5°C) on January 13, 1886, and again on January 12, 1913. Even during the historic 1977 cold wave that saw snow fall in Miami and Homestead, Key West remained well above the freezing mark. The warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean act as a massive heat sink, preventing Arctic air masses from cooling the island down to the 32°F (0°C) required for snow to form. While "snow" was reported by some residents during a freak cold snap in 1899, the National Weather Service officially classified it as "graupel" or sleet rather than true snowflakes. In 2026, Key West remains one of the few places in the continental United States where a "White Christmas" is meteorologically impossible under current climate conditions.